All Things Must Pass [Remastered] - George Harrison

Title: All Things Must Pass
Producer: Phil Spector
Release date: 27th November 1970

INTRODUCTION: I hope this review, whilst containing both fact and opinions on and about the album 'All Things Must pass' by George Harrison, will help you, dear reader, to understand what a great collection of songs this album truly is. While informing you on George Harrison's background etc I can inform you of the origins of this album ...
...George would become fascinated with all things Indian. By this time George was no stranger to soft drugs, but when he took the mind altering chemical LSD he claimed; 'It just opened something up inside of me'. The drug became a part of life for George. What followed was intense mediation trips to India under the wings of several gurus. It wasn't just the music that gripped George, but the spiritual beliefs which came with it. Unlike the other Beatles ... more

Title: All Things Must Pass
Producer: Phil Spector
Release date: 27th November 1970

INTRODUCTION: I hope this review, whilst containing both fact and opinions on and about the album 'All Things Must pass' by George Harrison, will help you, dear reader, to understand what a great collection of songs this album truly is. While informing you on George Harrison's background etc I can inform you of the origins of this album and help you to understand it's inspiration. Enjoy.

INSPIRATIONAL ROOTS

Goodbye Beatles!

After the miserable 'Get Back' recording sessions (later the album was renamed as 'Let It Be') in 1969, and the final Beatle's album to be made 'Abbey Road' ('Let It Be' was recorded previous to 'Abbey Road' but released after it), the Beatles were well and truly over. The band, as a whole had outgrown each other, as was shown in the hour long televised show shown only in England, the band was literally falling apart. John was absorbed in Yoko Ono, Ringo was pursuing a career as an actor, Paul was taking an overly bossy attitude towards the group as seeing it the only way to make something productive; and George was interested in making his own music and engaging in his new found spirituality.
Not only had to groups interests changed, their attitudes towards music had changed as well. John was becoming even more bizarre in his choice of lyrics and music, Paul wanted to remain close to his traditional music style, George was becoming more obsessed with Indian music, and Ringo wanted to act. Recording sessions, especially those on the 'Get Back' project, had become particularly high strung, and tempers were running riot. George would later say that the Beatles were splitting up for years, and he was heard saying on the way back from their last live concert at Candle Stick Park to nobody in particular, 'That's it, then. I'm not a Beatle anymore.' as early as 1966.

George Harrison, The Rebirth?

In 1965, on the set for The Beatle's second movie 'Help', George met and talked with a group of Indian musicians who had a scene on the film. Instantly he was gripped by an odd instrument named a sitar, and sent somebody out to buy one for him. From then on, George would become fascinated with all things Indian. By this time George was no stranger to soft drugs, but when he took the mind altering chemical LSD he claimed; 'It just opened something up inside of me'. The drug became a part of life for George. What followed was intense mediation trips to India under the wings of several gurus. It wasn't just the music that gripped George, but the spiritual beliefs which came with it. Unlike the other Beatles who took these beliefs as another way to express their hippy idealism common at the time, George stuck by his spiritual beliefs to the very end.
When the Beatles split George produced a set of songs to create an entirely new avant-garde album entitled 'Electronic Sounds.' With no one to hold him back, George plunged head first into making music.

THE TRIPLE ALBUM

The Making Of:

George claimed after splitting with the Beatles; 'I'd got so much music inside me that I was musically constipated'. This was certainly true in the studio when George began recording that there were so many songs he didn't know if even a double album would cater for them all. The end result was a triple album. There was mixed reaction to this, however John Lennon said 'He must be f**king mad, putting three records out.' However, the album was a success, moving to number one in both the US and the UK. George enlisted the help of Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman, Billy Preston, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock, Gary Brooker, Bobby Keyes, members of Badfinger, and a sixteen year old unknown boy with the name Phil Collins, to sit in as session musicians. The album was released in 1970.

The Songs:
(CD version)
DISC 1
I'd Have You Anytime
My Sweet Lord
Wah-Wah
Isn't It A Pity (Version 1)
What Is Life
If Not For You
Behind That Locked Door
Let It Down
Run Of The Mill
Beware Of Darkness
Apple Scruffs
Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
Awaiting On You All
All Things Must Pass
DISC 2
I Dig Love
Art Of Dying
Isn't It A Pity (Version 2)
Hear Me Lord
Out Of The Blue
It's Johnny's Birthday
Plug Me In
I Remember Jeep
Thanks For The Pepperoni

The First Single/Sue Me Blue:

The first single which was released on the 23rd November 1970 was 'My Sweet Lord'. A gospel inspired religious song which featured distinctly Indian sounding music, a heavenly melody which does make you feel closer to God, which sold around 5 million copies worldwide. The introduction features strumming on the guitar, and then the beginning of the introduction of Indian instruments, along with George Harrison's haunting voice and lyrics which keeps smartly intune with the song. While in the Beatles it was known that George did not have the best voice among the group, but it is evident that his voice is above average. The song was an instant success, a soothing spiritual musical rendition of George Harrison's beliefs, it is defiantly one of the best on the album.
However, the success of 'My Sweet Lord' was short lived, when in march 1971, George was sued on the basis that he had borrowed too heavily from the song 'He's So Fine' by the Chiffons. George denied the claim; he was however sued successfully when the case finally went to court in 1976.

Tracks To Look Out For: DISC 1:

The triple album has in CD format being split into two separate Discs. Disc one consists of more conventional music, where disc two does seem to run of into sometimes utter bizarreness. Disc one out of the two is defiantly more likeable, and there is a collection of pure gems amongst the fourteen tracks featured on it.
The first track to look out for is obviously 'My Sweet Lord'. I have never heard the Chiffon's song 'He's So Fine', so I cannot make any comparable opinions on the two tracks. However, 'My Sweet Lord' is pure spiritual magic, and if you followed George in his Beatles days you will ask yourself, is this the same man? Well, it is, and what has happened, despite George's severe tendencies to dabble in illegal substances, is one man realising who he is and why he is.
The next track to listen for is straight after the previous one. Track three is entitled 'Wah-Wah', and was written after a particularly heated argument with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney during the 'Get Back' recording sessions. Much rockier and featuring much more electronic instruments and sounds than 'My Sweet Lord', 'Wah-Wah' is a song with suitable George Harrison angst. Perhaps not directly aimed at McCartney, it shows obvious signs of annoyance and distress, which fused perfectly with the rockier guitar effects and voice and music distortions, is the perfect combination of cleansing the temper in an artistic fashion.
The next track to look out for is entitled 'What Is Life'. The thing I particularly like about this song is that lyrically this song could be about either a lover or God. Sometimes I'm sure it's about God, and then I swear it's about a lover. This track is more rockier and upbeat, and shows signs of pop formulas which will become well used in the future. However, for now, George is ahead of his time. The song which follows, 'If Not For You' is a perfect melody, charming, spiritual, this song is pure magic for your ears. You will become sensitive to every guitar string, every beat, every harmony; a song that can literally take you to a place we all want to go. This is my favourite song on the album.
'Run Of The Mill' is a potential self confidence, self assuring song. George tells us it's we who decide our fate, we who choose when to speak, that we control ourselves. In someways it can be seen as political, in most ways it is a musical plea to stand for ourselves in a world where power and oppression are common, in some ways it's more idealism shining through. This song can make people feel strong, that we don't have feel pushed around. Perhaps this is a reflection of George's final years the studio with the Beatles?
'Apple Scruffs' by comparison of the previous deep and moving songs, is a song which I feel is something to thank his fans by. However, adverse to public attention and mobbing of the Beatle's times, fans collected around the Apple studios where George was working on 'All Things Must Pass', and he and fellow musicians dubbed them scruffs. This next part is my personal opinion on how the title of the song was put together. Because the scruffs were milling around outside the Apple studios he decided to write a song called 'Apple Scruffs' combining Apple (studio) and the scruffs. This is my sheer opinion, yet I am pushed to think that this is so, as the lyrics 'Apple scruffs, how I love you', show dedication. It has been reported at the time that George was happy to have the support of his fans at this time, and was quite happy to sign autographs and pose for photos with the scruffs. 'Apple Scruffs' is a cheerful song, with strange high pitched tones overriding the beat and George's voice had been put through some means of distortion in the making of it. This definitely puts on a lighter tone and depending on the listener may offer some form of relief with a more upbeat feel.

Tracks To Look Out For: DISC 2:

To me the tracks enlisted on disk two are peculiar in themselves, especially 'It's Johnny's Birthday'. However, music fans who can enjoy music without lyrics or singing will enjoy this, as there are many guitar solos, which sadly as I know nothing about the guitar which is George's speciality, I cannot appreciate. My favourite track out of this nine song selection is 'I Dig Love', which is a much more music orientated piece which follows a similar pattern throughout the rest of the album. It is more rock and less roll than the tracks on the previous disk, and you can appreciate this more. The simple lyrics go hand in hand with the hippy idealism of the time.

GEORGE'S LIFE WHILST RECORDING:

George Harrison's mother, Louise, who was constant support and nurture for him, was becoming very ill around the time that 'All Things Must Pass' was being recorded. George's thoughts were always with her, but sadly in July she died from a brain haemorrhage, and George, devastated, stopped recording for a number of weeks. This fused tabloid gossip that George Harrison, former Beatle, would shut down the recording sessions and never record again. Along side this terrible period in George's life, his friend Eric Clapton and wife Pattie Boyd were becoming much more than friendly, and what began was an affair between the couple, which would later result in marriage. It was reported that George was aware of the circumstances but did nothing to stop them, and when George did enter the studio again after morning the loss of his mother, Harrison's and Clapton's working partnership became intense. The situation seemed impossible, and the sessions had fallen behind schedule. Eventually the somewhat rocky relationship between George and Eric was healed, when George played at Pattie's and Eric's wedding.

ALL THINGS MUST PASS:

In April 2001, George Harrison was diagnosed with lung cancer, his second cancer diagnoses, and went into surgery. After the operation, a gaunt and sickly looking George promoted the reissue of his album 'All Things Must Pass' . This lead to speculation that George was close to his final months. He in return announced angrily that he was 'active and feeling very well'. Sadly however, on December 1st 2001, aged 58, George Harrison died. All things must pass, and grievously prematurely George did. What he left behind was a legacy and a lot of respect, he is still renowned today for his generosity and spirituality; and in this album ladies and gentlemen, you can find just that.

Thankyou. 

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